Sean Salmon

died=
fightingfrom=Columbus, Ohio
hometown=Milwaukee, Wisconsin
fightstyle=Wrestling
wins=15
ko=5
submissions=7
nocontest=0
losses=5
draws=0|

Sean Michael Salmon (born September 11, 1977 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is an American mixed martial artist who currently competes as a middleweight. He has an overall record of 15 wins and 5 losses, with a UFC record of 0 and 2.

He is a member of Jorge Gurgel's fight team based in West Chester, Ohio.

Salmon is also a columnist for MMA news site [http://www.mmajunkie.com MMAjunkie.com] .

Early career

Salmon began his high school wrestling career at Birmingham Groves High School in Birmingham Michigan. As a freshman he amassed a varsity record of 20-20 at the 160lb weight class. He returned for his sophomore year and compiled a record of 38-9 at the 160lb weight class and qualified for the state meet before moving to Ohio to finish high school. Salmon was a state high school wrestling champion at Worthington (Ohio) Kilbourne High School during his senior year and amassed a 44-1 record.Salmon wrestled for two years at Ohio State University and ranked as high as 10th in the nation in the 167-pound division. He quit competing for the university after two seasons but assisted the program as a volunteer coach. Salmon continued to compete in amateur wrestling, though, and later became a qualifier for the Olympic Trials. He was also a frequent competitor on the Ohio International Wrestling Club freestyle circuit.

Salmon and his training partner (and fellow UFC fighter), Rex Holman, eventually began competing in mixed-martial arts in 2005. Prior to signing a three-fight deal with the UFC in December 2006, Salmon amassed a 9-1 record fighting for smaller organizations, including the Legends of Fighting Championships and King of the Cage organizations.

UFC career

Salmon made his UFC debut in the main event of UFC Fight Night 8 on January 25, 2007. In a nationally televised fight against Rashad Evans, the heavyweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter 2, Salmon lost due to knockout from a head kick at 1:06 in the second round.

Salmon was then scheduled to fight Eric Schafer at UFC 71 on May 26, 2007, but he instead faced Alan Belcher after Schafer broke a rib during training. In the preliminary fight, Salmon lost due to guillotine choke submission in the first round.

After the consecutive losses, Salmon announced in a June 5, 2007 [http://www.mmajunkie.com MMAjunkie.com] column that he was taking a temporary leave from the UFC to fight in smaller MMA organizations. [ [http://mmajunkie.com/2007/06/05/full-time-fighter-sean-salmon-discusses-a-departure-from-the-ufc/ Full-Time Fighter: Sean Salmon Discusses a Departure from the UFC - MMAjunkie.com ] ] .

Post UFC

On June 9th, 2007, Salmon submitted Jason Freeman at a North American Allied Fight Series event in Cleveland called Fite Nite at the Flats III, winning via keylock. On August 11, 2007, he defeated Bill Hall via unanimous decision at the Xtreme Fighting Organization's "XFO 19" show. On September 1, 2007, he was defeated via guillotine choke by UFC veteran Travis Wiuff in an International Fighting Organization title fight.

On November 16th, 2007, Salmon lost to Jorge Santiago by knockout in a Strikeforce tournament. According to Sherdog.com, and California State Athletic Commission Executive Officer Armando Garcia, Salmon suffered a seizure in the ring after he was KO'ed by Santiago. Garcia also stated Salmon's career was in jeopardy. [http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles.asp?n_id=10012]

2008 saw Salmon's return to the cage, with a September 19th TKO victory over Mitch Whitesel in an NAAFS event.

Personal life

Sean and his wife, Missy, have a son named Marcus. He lives in Columbus, Ohio and trains full-time in mixed-martial arts.

MMA Record

References

Sources

* [http://www.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=fighter.detail&pid=513 Sean Salmon at UFC.com]
* [http://mmajunkie.com/category/full-time-fighter/ Sean Salmon's Columns at MMAjunkie.com]
*Sherdog|id=14515|name=Sean Salmon